Childbirth Education is a big part of what we do and probably is one of the most important ways in which people get to know us! Our goal in teaching is that you, the pregnant woman, and your support team (your partner, your husband, your family, or friends) learn about the options and strategies that will serve you best on your journey. We assume that you are the expert on your life, and our job is to present you with the information you need to make the best choices possible for you. When you take our classes, you will meet lots of different people, all choosing different options, but all with the same goal: trying their best to be good parents and to bring healthy babies into the world! Please know, that if you need something and you do not see it listed here, contact us. We will do our best to work with you to get your needs met.
In our 8 week series for first-time parents, we focus on providing all the information we can to help expectant parents make the choices that maximize what it is important to them in their birth and postpartum experience. We recognize that each woman will make different decisions based on her needs and desires, as well as what kind of labor she is handed. Partners need information to help them understand the process so that they can be supportive and get their own needs met as well. To this end, the first 3 weeks of our series focuses on “normally-unfolding” or physiologic birth; the next two weeks cover complicated labors, including cesarean birth; the next two look at postpartum, the baby, and breastfeeding; and finally we have a class with “demo families”, new parents who have taken our classes and come back with their babies to share their experiences. Here are the topics we cover: Normal Labor and Birth Progress, Comfort Measures Overview, Breathing and Positions for Labor and Birth, Birth and Baby Plans, Your Labor and Birth Tool Kit, Your Labor and Birth Tool Kit, Complications with Baby, Cesarean Birth, Postpartum: The Fourth Trimester, Breastfeeding, Birth, Baby, and Postpartum Plan Review, “Demo” Parents and Babies.
What if it’s not your first? There are a couple of options—we offer a Refresher Class, one class to help you plan for the birth. We also offer a Vaginal Birth after Cesarean (VBAC) Class as a private class. Then you are also welcome to contact us and see about sitting in on selected classes in the 8-week series. Just let us know what works best for you!
